Alex Ovechkin was first announced as the Captain of the Washington Capitals on January 5th, 2010. And although he is continuing to play at a high level at the veteran age of 39, time is bound to catch up, especially with a lower body stage this season that had Ovechkin sidelined on November 18th, 2024, against the Utah Hockey Club. Although some are more obvious than others, the Capitals have some solid choices to fill the shoes of the Russian machine.
Tom Wilson is the most obvious (and infamous) choice of all. Wilson officially became a full-time alternate captain as announced on September 27th, 2024. Wilson, along with Bruins left wing Brad Marchand, has been one of the league's best (or worst) known “pests”, doing everything possible to get in the way of anyone on the ice. This would also be the obvious choice for Capitals Head Coach Spencer Carbery as it would allow for a smoother transition of leadership as Wilson has been a true presence on the Capitals since their Stanley Cup run in 2018.
Another popular choice would be Center Dylan Strome. According to Hockey Reference, Strome is coming off of back-to-back career high point and goal years with the Capitals, finishing with 23 goals and 65 points in 2022-2023 and 27 goals and 67 points in 2023-2024. Strome has also shown signs of former Capitals star Center Nicklas Bäckström with his natural playmaking ability and ability to get the puck in Ovechkin's stick. Strome is also on track for a point per game for the first time in his career and is likely to break the 80, if not 90 point barrier. This would obliterate his current career high of 67 from only one year ago.
Last but not least would be Center Connor McMichael. McMichael would definitely be the most surprising pick, but has showcased a goal high end scoring ability, which would make the play-style transition from Ovechkin to McMichael seamless. McMichael is also the youngest of the three, which would give him plenty of time to grow into his potential new role.
In my opinion, I think this is one of those times that it is best to keep things simple, give Wilson the captain C. Carbery, although he has been able to rapidly earn the respect and trust of his skaters and goalies, would benefit greatly from having a veteran presence to back him. Wilson has also been a longtime teammate of Ovechkin and was there during the Cup run in 2018. This would also likely ensure that Wilson would stay a lifelong Capital, and knowing the physicality that he brings, I don’t think I would want any business skating against him, whether for an out of conference game or for a seven-game series in the late Spring to determine whether or not your Cup dreams can continue. Time will tell who Washington and Carbery decide to wear the C, and it could be none of the above, but I think it is safe to say that the DMV is hoping for Ovechkin to not only shatter Gretzky's goal record, but also to hoist the Cup once more.